Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
by Kay the Cricketed
Summary: 8th sequel to A New Chapter.... will Jordan die? What's going on? ;) Please review... :) :) :)


Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep 

By Kay (AKA: Sp00kyfile) 

Disclaimer: I don't own the Animorphs, Ax, Jordan, Toby, or Erek. However, Tobi is MY creation!!! My masterpiece!!! Don't sue meee!!!!! ::wails:: 

Notes: 8th sequel to A New Chapter! BWAHAAHAHAAA!!! You'll NEVER get rid of me!!! ;) Oh- by they way- just remember- THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM!!! 

March 12, The Future 

Ax stared down at Jordan's face, which was stark white from the harsh lights of the room. Her skin was pale as death, and no expression crossed her features like it would in an ordinary slumber. Her blond hair hung limp, fanned around her face. 

She looked dead. 

Ax shivered and gripped the cold skin of her hand tighter. She gave no response- no sound except the dull montone of the heart moniter filled the hospital room. 

_Wake up_, he whispered in his mind, as if his own will could bring her back. _Wake up, Jordan..._

"Alex?" 

Ax turned, surprised and alert. Immeadiatly, he relaxed when he realized who had entered the room. "Hello, Mrs-" 

"Naomi," Jordan and Rachel's mother interrupted softly, smiling in a watery way despite the pain on her face. "I don't really think we need to be so formal." 

Ax nodded silently, and turned back to Jordan, fixing his eyes intently on her face- looking for something. Anything. Even a twitch would have made him more joyous than he had ever been in his life. Naomi walked around the bed to the other side, and sat down. Taking her daughter's other hand, she reached up and smoothed the blond silk of Jordan's hair down. She had to blink back tears. 

"Oh baby..." She whispered, crying softly. Ax looked up, uncomfortable, and winced when he saw the tears. 

"I am sorry," he said, shaking almost. Naomi glanced at him, her tears glistening. "Why?" she asked in confusion, wiping her eyes. 

Ax swallowed. "I... I should have..." 

Naomi put her other hand on Ax's. Ax stared down at it, uncertain and afraid. The kind of fear deep down inside the pulls you down like Earth's gravity. The kind that hurts and stabs at your insides until you don't know up from down or side from side. A dull ache, a sweetingly sad familiar kind, started in his chest. One he remembered so well- he'd had it since the fateful day the Animorphs had died. 

"Alex," Naomi said firmly. "Erek told me you feel guilty about this." 

Ax closed his eyes, and pressed Jordan's hand tighter. 

"Alex?" Naomi touched his shoulder. "Listen to me- nothing you could have done would have prevented that accident. You weren't even there." She shook her head. "It was a stupid drunk driver... A man- he's the one to blame. You fought with her, yes, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't have happened." She paused. "And I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt Jordan." 

Ax nodded, an obstruction in his throat making it difficult to talk. "I know this... But... I still should not have said such terrible things," he whispered. "I did not have any reason to- and now I may never get to... apologize..." He trailed off, tears falling from his eyes. 

Naomi played with her comatose daughter's hair again, and spoke quietly to the distraught nothlit. "Alex... I have lost one of my daughters to death." Ax looked up at her. 

"Rachel..." he said. Not a question- a sad statement. A fact that still burned him deep down. That haunted his dreams at night. 

Naomi nodded. "I lost her- I'd give so much to have her back... But I can't." She looked down at Jordan, and said in a quiet, but determined voice, "I will not lose another girl, Alex. Jordan's going to make it- she has to." 

Ax didn't say a word for a long time. When he spoke next, his tone was haunted and tired. 

"I have seen to much death to believe it leaves anyone behind, Naomi." He stared at the heart moniter- the steady green line a life line to keep Jordan into this world and stop her from crossing into the next. 

Another piece of human technology. Not able to stop life. Or start it again. 

"Death always wins." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Erek King sighed, and glanced at his watch for the three hundred and seventy-fifth time. He should know- he had been keeping track. Mrs. Marek, his math teacher, glanced at him unconcerningly, and then went back to instructing the class on how to solve non-lineir equations. He didn't bother to listen to the lesson- he already understood them, and could work them easily anyway. When you're thousands of years old, you also come to realize that most math doesn't do you any good anyway. 

"Erek? Are you paying attention?" Mrs. Marek asked with a knowning smile. He looked up calmly, and sat up straighter. 

"Yes, I am." He pretended to study the problem in the book as she continued, but in reality, his thoughts wandered once again to Jordan's predicement. It had been a week, and no sign of improvement. Nothing. Not even a sign of movement. The entire time almost, Ax had stayed by her side- unwilling to go anywhere, including school. Erek managed to drag him away to eat every once in a while, and occasionally he convinced Ax to sleep at the Kings for the night. The bell rang, and Erek jumped up quicker than usual and grabbed his things. Quickly walking out the door, he pushed past the flood of kids to his locker. Stuffing everything in his backpack, he shouldered it, and ran outside. Squinting in the sun, he looked for his "father's" car, who had been giving Erek a ride to the hospital everyday after school since the accident. 

Mr. King pulled up in an old convertable that he had grown attached too, despite the old out of tune engine that stubbornly refused to turn many times. Erek smiled at him, and swung into the seat, shutting the door behind him with a loud slam. 

"The hospital again?" Mr. King asked, looking at Erek. Erek nodded. 

"Where else? Ax has been there all night- I want to check up on him..." 

There was silence for most of the ride. Erek stared out the window at the green grass that was starting to grow on the ground. Spring was coming- the time for renewal and rebirth. It seemed harsh and sad that someone close to him might die as so much was being born. Not fair. But nothing was- his creators were slaughtered, weren't they? That hadn't been fair either. 

Jordan's accident had taken place with horrible timing. She and Ax hadn't gotten a chance to make up. Hadn't gotten a chance to heal yet. Ax was still just getting over the deaths of the Animorphs- something like this would hurt him deeply. 

'Please,' Erek begged silently, closing his eyes. 'Let her live. Aximili will never survive something like this... Please. Let her live.' 

Of course, there was no answer. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The steady, familiar beep of the heart moniter greeted Erek when he opened the door. He looked inside, and blinked in surprise. 

"Hey, Toby," he said, smiling. The Hork-Bajr seer looked up from her place beside the bed, and smiled a reptilian smile that didn't really reassure Erek much. "Hello, Erek. How are you?" 

"I'm fine," Erek said, and he blinked again in surprise. "How'd you get up here?" 

Toby looked at the door and pointed with one bladed arm and hand to the hall. "One of the doctors was a former Controller, and he was kind enough to help me get passage safely." 

Erek closed the door behind him, and focused his attention on Jordan. She looked pale- no change from yesterday. It depressed him, but he knew he couldn't give up hope. And besides- he had more important things to worry about... 

"Where's Ax?" 

Toby gestured to a couch on the far side of the white, disinfectant-smelling room. The couch was white, and tucked away in the corner. Ax was asleep, exhaustion and peace on his face, curled up in a blanket. There were circles under his eyes, and he was starting to look undernorished slightly. Erek was relieved to see that he was resting, and judging from the empty jello container on the floor beside the couch, Toby had convinced the young nothlit to eat something. "How long has he been asleep?" Erek asked, lowering his voice so not to wake Ax. Though he was sure he wouldn't have- Ax was sleeping like the dead. 

"About fifteen or twenty minutes after I came here," Toby answered. "I convinced him to eat and close his eyes for a moment. Lack of sleep did the rest, my Chee friend." 

Erek smiled slightly. "It's good to see him finally sleeping... Any change in Jordan?" 

Toby shook her head. "I am sorry... But Aximili was informed shortly before I came. There has been no progress. They no longer expect her to live." 

Erek slumped down in the seat on the other side of the white bed. "That's not good..." He sighed sadly. "I can't believe it... How'd he take it?" 

Toby looked sad. "He was in complete shock almost, my friend. He refused to leave her side. I do not know..." She hesitated. "I do not know if he can take this burden, Erek. He has already had so much pain..." 

Erek nodded, looking at Ax's peaceful face as he slept. Sorrow crossed his face- holographic, perhaps, but real in his soul. 

"I don't know, Toby... I just don't know." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Sara stared at her sister, confused and scared. "Mommy?" she asked, her voice shaking. Naomi hugged her youngest daughter. 

"I know, honey... But she's just asleep." 

"Will she wake up?" Sara asked, her eyes wide. 

Naomi swallowed her tears. "Yes, Sara... She'll wake up." 'She has to,' Naomi added silently. 

Ax looked uncomfortable, as if he didn't belong. Naomi didn't blame him- Alex had always been an aloof child. No wonder, with him being an alien of course. But she had always treated him like a part of the family. But even that didn't help the fact that he wasn't really part of the family. She could feel his guilt, his hesitation. He didn't think he should be here. 

Sara sniffed. "She looks sick." 

Naomi nodded slowly. "Yes, honey, she is sick. But she'll get better, I promise." Naomi wasn't sure if it was wise to tell Sara that, but at the moment she had nothing but hope. It was all she had to hold on to, and there was no way she was going to tell her daughter that her big sister was going to go away just like her other one. 

Ax was silent. Naomi studied him as Sara peered at Jordan from the chair beside the bed. He looked awful- tired with fear and exhaustion hanging in his eyes. She could tell by his disleveled appearance that he hadn't been paying much attension to himself lately. It scared her almost as much as her daughter's still body and unchanged condition. 

"Are we gonna go home now?" Sara asked, bored by the plain, bland room already. Naomi nodded. "Okay, just let me get my purse." 

Sara skipped out into the hall, and Ax took his regular spot by the bed. Naomi watched him carefully. Then she turned to Ax. 

"You have to stop this, Alex." 

Ax looked up at her, confused. "What?" 

She sighed softly. "You're neglecting yourself. You haven't had a decent meal forever- nor a good night of sleep, I bet. I love Jordan... But even I know that she wouldn't want me to practically kill myself to stay with her night after night." 

Ax tightened his hold on Jordan's limp hand. "I know... but I feel I must. I was in some part responsible for the accident. I feel like.. like I should somehow make it up to her." He paused, his throat constricted. "And I also feel that it is my place here. I-I love her, Naomi." There was a long silence following this annoucement. 

"Alex..." Naomi said softly. "If you love her, you will let her go." 

She left the room, leaving Ax staring at Jordan and at the window where the sun shined brightly. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

_"Times have gone quickly,_ _And the world has not changed..."_

Erek sighed softly as the soft pitter patter of the rain sounded in his ears. It had been falling all day, while Erek stared out at it from the window in the hospital room. 

Jordan had died at 3 AM last night. 

_"The only thing different is that you're not here._

_But I can't live if you're not livin' near..."_

"Aximili..." he said softly, turning to his friend who was curled up on the couch in the corner. "I'm so sorry." 

The words seemed so inadequate. _"Do you hope for a new tomorrow?_

_Do you wish for something more than your dreamworld?"_

Ax didn't reply- he just tucked a blanket around his body tighter. His eyes were squeezed shut, his face pale. Erek sighed. He refused to talk ever since they found out. He had also refused to eat- to do anything. He just stared at the floor, sometimes rocking back and forth, tears falling. He wasn't insane or out of it- but Erek knew from his expression that he was having trouble coping. Who wouldn't? 

_"Cause I can't live in that place, never without your face..._ _I want to live with you here, and now, girl..."_

Erek walked over and sat down beside Ax. Silently, he put an arm around his shivering body and hugged him. Something he did not do often- and never to Ax. But now... Now Ax needed someone. Needed someone alive and real and solid, more so than his dreams and his pain. 

Ax didn't look like he noticed Erek's arm around him. He had opened his eyes, and was staring at the floor again. _No other time, Will do..._

_Here by your side, I've nothing to hide..._

_Except my endless love for you."_

_"She died to young."_

Erek looked at Ax, silent, and somehow not surprised at the sudden comment that sounded like it was strangled in Ax's throat. 

"She should not have died," Ax said, shaking. "None of this should have happened." 

"No," Erek said. "It shouldn't have." 

Tears, silver and so familiar now, slipped down Ax's face, burning his skin slightly. "Why did it happen?" he whispered. 

Erek thought of his people- peace loving and happy who had been killed for no reason but hate. He thought of the horrible time with the Yeerks- the suffering and paranoia. The many deaths and lives destroyed. He thought of the Animorphs- so young but forced to fight a war that even adults would have been scared to fight. How they died so young- like Jordan- in a place of hate and evil. How the gentlest people could become killers. How Marco's mother, the woman who raised him, loved him, held him in times of fear, had become the enemy, and how Erek had not been able to save her. He thought of Ax, hurt and scarred by the aftermath of the war, almost unable to even get up in the morning for so long. How he kept going though- tried and tried- and made it back to the living. Back to them all. 

None of it should have been. But it was. 

"I don't know, Aximili," Erek said softly, holding his friend as Ax buried his face in Erek's shoulder and cried. "I don't know..." 

"I-I loved her..." Ax whispered, his voice muffled. 

Erek nodded. "I know." He sighed. "It wasn't right, but it happened..." He paused, and looked at Ax's bowed head buried in his jacket. "You know... you've changed so much." 

Ax looked up, surprised and confused. "What?" 

"You've changed," Erek repeated, swallowing. "You really aren't Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthil anymore... Your arrogance and pride are gone. You're... human. You know that, don't you?" When Ax nodded slowly, he went on. "Ever since the Animorphs died, you've tried so hard to live again, Ax. You were starting to get on with life. And now..." He trailed off. 

"What?" asked Ax. 

Erek sighed heavily. "Now I'm so worried that you're going to go back to being the living dead... back to square one." 

Ax straightened and bit his lip. "I... I just can't..." He swallowed the obstruction in his throat. "Erek..." 

"I know, it takes time, Ax," Erek said, his eyes serious. "But I don't want you to give up. Not now- not when you're so close to getting totally and completely on. This is it, Ax-man. The end. She's gone. She wouldn't want you to give up." 

Ax closed his eyes, feeling ill. His stomach whirled with nausia. "I..." 

"I'm not asking you to stop your grieving," Erek said quickly. "But I AM asking you to let me help you, Ax. Help you with your pain. You never once let me close to you after the war, you know that? Not once did you talk to me about them. About you." 

Ax looked surprised. "I did not think you would have wished to listen... and besides- I did not really want to talk about it anyway." 

Erek nodded painfully. "Yeah. But now- I want to help you, Aximili. I want you to let me." 

Ax gazed at his android friend who had taken him in and gave him so much. For the first time, he contemplated Erek and his friendship. It was true that they were both different in so many ways- races, people, origin. They had their opinions, and they weren't really people to show so much emotion. They'd never talked like this before. But now... 

For the first time, Ax realized how much he had come to depend on Erek's friendship. How much he had counted on him. He wanted Erek to be here with him on his silent, frustrating and sad wait for Jordan to pass on to a place with no pain. Erek had been there for him every time- when he became a nothlit, gave up on life. He had been there when Ax had a dangerous fever, always checking in on him. When Jordan had been in the car accident, Erek was there to stay with him through the night. And now... Now Erek was here for him when he had no one else. 

"Erek- I never thanked you," Ax said, looking at his friend, Jordan forgotten for a small moment. 

Erek looked surprised. "What else could I have done? You needed me." 

"Still... thanks." Ax rubbed his eyes. He hesitated, unsure of how to say the words he wanted to. How to tell him how much Erek's support meant to him. But Erek understood. 

Erek stood up, pulling up Ax with him. "Come on," he said gently. "Let's go home, you need to rest." 

Ax nodded. 

Home... 

Yes. He wanted to go home. Back to the house- the underground kennel. 

Ax sighed and stared at Jordan's empty bed. The sheets were smooth and crisp as though no one had been there. As though the only girl he had ever loved had not just died there, laying lifelessly. 

"Yes, let's go home," he whispered. 

They walked out, Erek supporting Ax as he left the room. 

The sunlight drifted lightly onto the white bedspread, glimmering along the edges as the door closed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Jordan watched through the transparent wall as Ax and Erek walked out of the room. 

"No..." she whispered frantically. She slapped her hands on the clear bubble that felt like plastic. She hit it again. "NO! WAIT! AX!!!!!! EREK!!!!! NO!" 

She slammed her fists against the wall desperatly. "No.. don't leave... I'm not dead... please!!!!!" She felt stinging tears fill her eyes. "COME BACK!!!!!" 

She finally stopped her pounding, and leaned against the clear bubble that imprisoned her and kept her invisable to the world. Her sobs were strangled as she tried to hold them back. What was going on? Last thing she remembered was light... sounds... glass... 

"Why, my my! Why are you looking so sad, little Jordan!" an annoying voice sounded from behind her. 

Jordan whirled, and stared at the creature. 

It was just... weird. She'd never seen an alien before, save for picture and descriptions, but this was definatly nothing native to good ol' Earth. Funny skin, and a dinosaur like body with arms and a head and mouth. Odd. And somehow, very annoying. 

"I am Drode," the creature said mockingly. "I'm afraid we haven't gotten the pleasure of meeting, Rachel's sister! Rachel- the violence-prone pschopath herself! And you- her blood! It is an honor." He bowed, and Jordan felt fury rise in her. She jumped up and smacked him. 

"TAKE THAT BACK ABOUT MY SISTER!" 

Drode laughed and danced out of her reach. "Touchy, are we? Well, don't you worry about that- everything's being taken care of." 

"What do you want?" Jordan demanded. "Why are you doing this?!" 

Drode smiled. "Simple! Revenge- pure and sweet. My master Crayak was very uspet to learn the Yeerk invasion failed because of those miserable human children. Especially the Fearless Leader- Big Jake." He sneered. "And your foolish, crazy sister who refused to join us." 

Jordan didn't know who Crayak was- but whoever he was, she already hated him. 

"You can't keep me here," she said, glaring coldly. 

"Oh yes I can!" Drode laughed in delight. "My little Rachel, we are playing by the rules!" 

"Rules?! What "rules!?" Jordan snapped, stepping forward. 

"In time, Little Rachel, in time," the Drode said, smiling. He stepped back. "I'll just leave you to think about poor Aximili- the arrogant Andalite gone softy. Pathetic, really." He giggled. "It will be a pleasure to see him finally snap..." 

Jordan didn't think- she lunged. But she closed on air. She fell on her face with a "Whomph!" and looked up blearily. 

The Drode was gone. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ax buried himself deep under the covers as though they could sheild him from the pain. Tobi, sensing his mood, curled up beside him on his bed. He stroked her fur while thoughts and wishes ran through his head. 

Numbly, he was planning. It was something he hadn't even done after the Animorphs had died- save the fact he planned to be a nothlit. Not really something he planned though. But maybe it was that he'd seen so much death already- knew the pain that clutched his chest and made him feel like dying there and then. The pain was nothing new. So maybe that was why while one half of his mind was alive with pain and hurt that Jordan was gone forever, the other half was resolute and chiding. 

That part of him was planning- remembering that the funeral was going to be held in a week or two. Remembering that Erek needed him to help take care of the dogs. Wondering what time it was, and when he should get up tomorrow morning. Thinking about Jordan's mother- she would have a hard time. All the thoughts just tumbled through, numbly, almost without his knowing, but they were there and he was thinking them. 

It was like watching two different primitive television screens at once. Confusing, and hard to follow. Ax closed his eyes and tried to silence both parts. He did not want to think about the past or the future. Neither. 

Just sleep. 

He let his mind finally let go, and drifted away until everything faded into black. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The sky was a shaded grey, with low streaming clouds that framed March's canvas above the day of Jordan's funeral. The day was cold, dreary- the wind chilling and sharp, and the whole cemetery damp with dew and light rain that made the ground marshy. The whole sea of silent stones were drifting in the mist. 

Fitting weather, considering my mood, Ax thought. He stared blankly at the damp grass and earth as the reverend started his service. The words failed to penetrate Ax's conciousness. Every now and then he caught something about God and Heaven and Jordan being a wonderful person they'd all remember. What did he know? Ax wondered. He hadn't known Jordan. Not like Ax had. Not like her mother or sisters or- 

Ax swallowed and closed his eyes, feeling dizzy. The past few days had been hell for him. In fact, he wasn't so sure today wasn't either. The idea of placing Jordan under the earth- beneath the dark dirt, made him sick to his stomach. Humans- sometimes he forgot their barbaric customs. His people would burn their dead, and scatter the ashes in a ritual. Humans just read from an old book and buried their own. 

Almost as bad as making tunnels of badly made human plastic underwater. 

A slight smile appeared for a brief moment on his face. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he wasn't behaving right. Since Jordan's death, he hadn't really grieved yet. He'd walked around- staring blankly. Closed inside, pain unable to get out. Pushed the memories back when they came. He couldn't deal yet- couldn't handle it. Logically, he knew it would not last forever, and soon he would have to face it totally, but now he could not. Didn't want to, either. 

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die... " the reverend intoned. Ax jerked back to reality, away from his thoughts. 

A time to die? Why did the time come so soon, then? What purpose could come of letting her die? Ax gritted his teeth. The thoughts were to complex for him at the moment- they made his head hurt more than it already did. 

Erek laid a hand on his arm, as if understanding the dizziness and anger that were whirling through his mind. Ax leaned toward him unconciously, needing something real- solid. He had needed a lot of those these past days. 

It was odd, because despite the pain that filled him, and his tears, he still didn't totally feel the reality of Jordan's death. It was as if she could come walking up, and he wouldn't even be surprised. Any moment- just smiling widely, her hair damp from the humitidy. His mind, his heart, and even his logic refused to believe she was gone forever. So in some way, he refused to let her death touch him. Oh, he knew sooner or later, he'd have to face it- have to come to terms with it. But he could not handle that right now. Not now. Maybe not ever. 

The reverend was done- he ceased his talking. Ax looked up and watched as Naomi, crying and dressed in black, threw in the first fistfull of dirt. 

It made him hurt to see her cry. Like he could not breath. Suffocating. 

Hold on, Aximili. 

Was that Erek saying that, or was it him? 

Hold on, hold on, hold on... 

Ax squeezed his eyes shut, and walked away. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Jordan watched from her bubble as Ax walked away, holding his arms around himself. She felt frustration and pain well up in her, not for the first time. She'd given up screaming and pounding a long time ago, learning it got her nowhere. Now she waited. She didn't know what she was waiting for, but it was all there was to do. 

Sometimes the bubble would be in the dark- sometimes it was in her house, or here, showing her the real world. She didn't know who controlled where she was and what she saw- probably that Crayak guy. Whoever he was. Whatever he was, actually. She got the feeling he was no ordinary person. 

"No," Jordan muttered sarcastically. "He's an ordinary person- you know, makes people think other people are dead, traps them in bubbles, and sends T-Rex and human offspring with annoying voices to take their messages like a secretary. The usual." 

Sighing, she sat down Indian style and watched the funeral. Erek was gazing after Ax, a pained expression on his face. Her mother... Jordan swallowed. Her mom looked so sad. She thought she had lost another daughter. 

"You haven't, Mom. Please... don't believe it, don't believe it," she whispered. The sound was welcome in her bubble. She hated not being able to talk to someone. And not to mention the disturbing fact that she hadn't had to eat food or drink something in the past few days. It was as if time were suspended in the clear pocket she was staying in. Not something she was enjoying. 

"Crayak, Drode- whoever the hell you are! LET ME OUT!!!" 

Okay. So maybe she hadn't TOTALLY given up the screaming and pounding. Jordan gritted her teeth and tapped her fingers on the bottom of the bubble. This was really getting on her nerves- she didn't like the idea of someone controlling what happened to her. Was Crayak some sort of god? Some sort of mystical being? Or what? 

"Hello hello! I'm back again!" a dreadfully familiar voice chirped from behind her. Taking care not to loose her temper, Jordan turned and stood, her gaze cold. 

"Drode. What a pleasent surprise," she growled. "What the hell are you? What do you want from me?! WHAT?!!" 

Drode looked annoyed. "I already told you- revenge. Sweet and s-" 

"Shut up," Jordan snapped. "Let me out of here. Alive. Back with my family and Ax." 

Drode shook his head. "I'm afraid, little Rachel, that's impossible. I can't let you go without visiting my master." 

Jordan swallowed her rise of fury, and glared. "No. Let me go." 

"No." 

"You little b*****d," Jordan snarled, reaching forward as if to strangle him. He laughed. 

"You ARE a lot like Rachel, Little Jordan, Little Jordan who is the splitting mental image of her violent psychopathic sister," Drode said mockingly. He giggled. "I wonder what the Andalite saw in you? Your rage is admirable, but your focus is off, I'm afraid." He said it almost gleefully. 

"What do you mean?" Jordan growled. "I'm focusing on what's making me angry, all right..." She glared pointedly. 

Drode laughed. "Exactly like Rachel! I so love hearing you talk like her. She was very special you know- she could have been valuable to Crayak. But noooo- she chose the wrong way. It's a pity she's dead now- we would have won her over eventually." 

Jordan gritted her teeth. "Let. Me. Go." 

Drode laughed. "Not just yet- but I will take you to see my Master now." 

Then, without warning, the cemetary and the greying sky above her head disappeared. For the first time, Jordan found herself staring at the evil that had been holding her prisoner. 

She screamed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

And far away, Ax curled up in bed, wanting to sleep forever. Finally, feeling the immortal heaviness of pain and anguish and reality settle on him, he let down his shields. And he cried. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

THE END: More to come! SOrry it took so long!!! ::sniffs:: I've just been so busy lately... But anyway- it's up- that's what matters. Next up! Number 9! Hah! In our sequel, we will see a reunion, perhaps? Not the kind you are expecting... think of the dead rising.. think HARD of them... heh heh... "I See Dead People." BWAHAHAHAHA! ;) More soon hopefully! Don't worry- SHE IS NOT DEAD YET!!! 


End file.
